Cook at the Crossroads: Today's Champion

**red bellied** · 10/10/2007, 7:09 PM

The manager wants more support from the business community and fans coming through the gates if he is to stay at the Showgrounds. Cook is fully behind the MC but he believes it is up to the people of Sligo and surrounding areas if they want the club to go foward.

He goes on to say more money is needed to compete with the likes of Drogheda and Pats. The current squad isnt big enough and mentions what would be the sceaniro if Faz got injured. He loves working and living in Sligo and doesnt want to manage any other side. Plus he wants to win the league with Rovers! But it all boils down to the point of more support through the turnstiles and business committments. Also he was very disappointed about the Turner and Hughes situation. Wants to avoid this by handing players longer contracts.

Cook and Carr will discuss the situation at the end of the season before deciding their future.

General summary from today's paper.

**gustavo** · 10/10/2007, 7:16 PM

Also he said that Hughes is 90% likely to leave .

**red arrow** · 10/10/2007, 8:15 PM

after reading the sligo champion this evening i am saddened but still excited because i know we potentially have one of the best managers in years. it was a joy to read his open honesty nad if we lose this guy the people of sligo should be ashamed of themselves. he spells it out in no uncertain terms what is required. he can bring us to great heights but we need finance look what he has done already with a squad that was in turmoil. raising finance for next season should start now as i have said before i have always helped out and contributed to the club and will continue to do so but we need financial commitment to back the manager. i know we have some great supporters and many of them are in there teens and early 20's etc. a lot of them may not have the connections to bring in big financial help (no disrespect) but they can still be of great value to the club and that is by passing on paul cookes message to their bosses or workplace or where they feel financial help may be forthcomming. in other words tell people to read paul cookes article in the champion. we need to keep this plea alive over the next couple of months.keep focused on the target and the positive results will be your reward.

**feo123** · 10/10/2007, 9:39 PM

the MC are doing their best...i just don't know if its good enough at this level. don't think its their fault some of the things that happened

**feo123** · 10/10/2007, 9:51 PM

Originally Posted by Rogue Trader

Look no offence FEO but nobody is blaming anybody that i can see. But i would hate to be a supporter of a club than the people involved with(And i am talking about the fans as well) just sat on their hands god lets have a go ffs. Give us a plan plaster the jersey with sponsors i see was it Derry had 2 or 3 Sponsors on their shirt.

I remember one year they went to businesses and the had a raffle for the main sponsor, second was on the back of the jersey, F**k it we could plaster the jersey and short with sponsors. Players Sponsors could bring in 15k you bloody could sell the name of the stand, the name of the ground or even the name of the bloody team. I'd rather have a go and fail than not have a go at all.

no ones having a go at them i know...was just saying like

**sligoman** · 10/10/2007, 9:57 PM

Originally Posted by Rogue Trader

even the name of the bloody team.

I can see it now, Rogue Trader's Army

.

**SligoBrewer** · 10/10/2007, 9:58 PM

Originally Posted by Rogue Trader

Look no offence FEO but nobody is blaming anybody that i can see. But i would hate to be a supporter of a club that the people involved with(And i am talking about the fans as well) just sat on their hands god lets have a go ffs. Give us a plan plaster the jersey with sponsors i see was it Derry had 2 or 3 Sponsors on their shirt.

I remember one year they went to businesses and the had a raffle for the main sponsor, second was on the back of the jersey, F**k it we could plaster the jersey and short with sponsors. Players Sponsors could bring in 15k you bloody could sell the name of the stand, the name of the ground or even the name of the bloody team. I'd rather have a go and fail than not have a go at all.

Was thinking that myself over the weekend. sleeves, bottom the back of the shirt etc..

Have a look at a Cork City shirt, 5 sponsors on the one I have, we only have 2 atm

**clubman** · 10/10/2007, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by SligoBrewer

Was thinking that myself over the weekend. sleeves, bottom the back of the shirt etc..

Have a look at a Cork City shirt, 5 sponsors on the one I have, we only have 2 atm

Bring the businesses forward with their money and the logos will be displayed on the jerseys. Are the businesses interested. Are the businesses in existance in the region and willing to hand out the loot?
I don't think so - prove me wrong!

**DRDoc** · 11/10/2007, 12:04 AM

There are lots of big companys in the region - MBNA near by - Radisson Hotel nearby - Yeats hotel

A lot of the banks all have regional centres in the town

Bank Of America have offices in the town also?

Local broadband providers

All potential major sponsers and thats just of the top of my head companies with large ad/marketing budgets

Scholarship scheme with the IT

Maybe special deals with local junior and senior football teams - reduced admission prices, players taking a few train ing sessions - this guys are into football already - get them into Rovers

I dont know how sligo and derry compare in terms of population etc but i think there are plenty of people in the town and county to support a team

**DRDoc** · 11/10/2007, 2:57 AM

If it were my decision I would involve Cook in looking for sponsorship

The man is a bit of an optimist I think - thats important

He is very likeable also - seems like a decent guy

He also is the public face of the club more than anyone else

and he has without a doubt a passion about him that people will react to

**Ronnie** · 11/10/2007, 12:48 PM

Its about money lads, nothing else. Keeping your best players, if they are wanted by the clubs with money, means players on 100k to 150k pa. A full time quality sqaud would need Sligo turning over 2million a year - 40k every week, is that realistic in Sligo?

**Only1Rovers** · 11/10/2007, 3:32 PM

interesting interview coming up at 5 on Ocean sports news.

**sligoman** · 11/10/2007, 3:47 PM

Originally Posted by DRDoc

There are lots of big companys in the region - MBNA near by

Bank Of America have offices in the town also?

MBNA is Bank of America. I honestly can't see them being interested in getting involved with Rovers.

**clubman** · 11/10/2007, 6:40 PM

Originally Posted by DRDoc

There are lots of big companys in the region - MBNA near by - Radisson Hotel nearby - Yeats hotel

A lot of the banks all have regional centres in the town

Bank Of America have offices in the town also?

Local broadband providers

All potential major sponsers and thats just of the top of my head companies with large ad/marketing budgets

Scholarship scheme with the IT

Maybe special deals with local junior and senior football teams - reduced admission prices, players taking a few train ing sessions - this guys are into football already - get them into Rovers

I dont know how sligo and derry compare in terms of population etc but i think there are plenty of people in the town and county to support a team

The list is endless and thats only from the tip of my tongue.
Let's face it lads, do you not think the management committee of Rovers have not already chased up all these avenues? Companies don't hand out money willie-dilly. All the major banks have branches in Sligo but when you go looking for sponsorship the branch manager can't give an answer he has to contact head office and have a guess what they say. Something along the lines 'who the fuke is Sligo Rovers'. The same goes for the new businesses that come into town via the shopping centre. Head office has to be contacted and low and behold 'who the F@@@@@ .... '
It has all being tried and tested it's just not there.
The one avenue where there's a possible opening is the car park idea. Sligo Corporation are looking for car park spaces and now with the Fairgreen idea is dead in the water I think it's time the Showgrounds was stuck under the noses of the local politicians. Anyone on here that knows or knows of a local representative should be in their ear. It would be worth a few hundred grand to the club and a great means of solving a problem. With the Christmas shoppers just ready to hit Sligo it's time to get the car park up and running.

**sligoman** · 11/10/2007, 6:48 PM

Has anyone contacted the club to see if they're considering/have thought about the car park idea?

**red bellied** · 11/10/2007, 7:40 PM

I reckon a good way to go would be to bring in an outside consultant to point the club in the right direction. Something like Genesis did with FAI. Probably cost a whack for consultancy fees but something needs to be done.

**clubman** · 11/10/2007, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Rogue Trader

I know a man very well who is a season ticket holder and had/has his own small company is the centre of the town, who told me he was not once tackled for any form of sposorship, this guy would have been prime to tackle but when your letting him go then surely he is not the only one.

I have been around the Rovers scene a long time and believe me I've heard all the stories, I guess you could say I'm akin to the guy on the advert on telly for the TV license inspector. I've heard all the excuses but none of them work.
A good number of years ago I remember having a heated conversation with a local businessman, today he's a very wealthy local businessman, on the topic of SRFC. This guy is an ardent fan of the Bit O' Red. At the time I wondered and asked him why he never rowed in behind the club to help them financially or by whatever means. He told me that he had a cheque made out to Rovers for a 'substancial' amount and he would hand the cheque over when the time is right. As I say it is a good number of years ago. Rovers have won the FAI Cup twice, the League Cup, the Shield and two First Division Championships and this very wealthy businessman hasn't yet handed over the cheque. I guess the time isn't right just yet.
The moral of the story RT is this - Talk is cheap, anyone can say there are willing to help but the work wont get done by talk alone. It's the people that roll their sleves up and get on with it that we should be thankful for. Promises are not the reason Sligo Rovers Football Club is 80 years in existance next year. Just something for you to think about next time you chat with your season ticket holder friend.

**Kivlehan** · 12/10/2007, 5:17 AM

I apologize in advance for my ignorance of the local area but have all of the stores in the Quayside Shopping Centre been contacted about sponsorship of some kind?

http://www.quayside.ie//html/directory.html

Seems to be located fairly near the Showgrounds based on Google Maps.

Are there other shopping centers like this?

In the area in which I live (in the USA), there is a local minor league baseball team just starting up this coming year and I received a phone call from them pitching my company on various sponsorship opportunities as well as season ticket packages which they offered as a good to bring clients to for entertainment. I believe they called every single business in the area, which granted it quite a bit larger than Sligo (200K population) and they are getting enormous support from the business community (not us though, not a good fit for our business model). The person doing the calling may have been an unpaid marketing intern.

Out of curiosity, how profitable was the Bray match? Reports I read on here had the crowd at 2x what most other matches got. When the cost of doing the promotion was factored in, was the bottom line better than from the average gate?

**MervilleUnited** · 12/10/2007, 11:40 AM

I would think, based on talking to some of the members of Chamber of Commerce, that if anything, the MC have haunted the local area looking for Sponsorship. Our catchment area is small, compared with the big urban areas to the east and south, and in fairness ex GAA players dominate business in the North West, not to mention Rugby. So I think saturation level has been reached. I have been told many times that "Rovers were in last week" when looking for sponsorship for our club. Difficult when we are keeping 200+ kids off the streets! But Rovers is what every one of them aspire to.

Heres an idea though considering its 80 years of Rovers next year. I seem to remember a Jersey, that had all former players on it, in small font, but there neverthless. if it was white, with red lettering, it would look like a light red, (A bit O'Red

) Now if a 1000 supporters were to buy a space on the jersey, for thier name, at a 100e a pop, thats 100k. And forever your name would be associated with the club, and for a season is on the backs of the players you support!

And would be a fantastic Xmas Gift. Ask the champion to make up a certificate, FOC, and bobs your uncle. Bit of Kudos down the pub, especially if your name was around the crest!

Just a thought, for what its worth!

**neutrino** · 12/10/2007, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by MervilleUnited

Heres an idea though considering its 80 years of Rovers next year. I seem to remember a Jersey, that had all former players on it, in small font, but there neverthless. if it was white, with red lettering, it would look like a light red, (A bit O'Red

) Now if a 1000 supporters were to buy a space on the jersey, for thier name, at a 100e a pop, thats 100k. And forever your name would be associated with the club, and for a season is on the backs of the players you support!

And would be a fantastic Xmas Gift. Ask the champion to make up a certificate, FOC, and bobs your uncle. Bit of Kudos down the pub, especially if your name was around the crest!

Just a thought, for what its worth!

that's a very good idea MU.

I think the MC have done the very best they can given the capabilities and voluntary nature of the setup. Surely now is the time to bring in someone on a full-time basis to try move the club forward - is this not part of what the structure under licencing is supposed to be anyway. It would be an awful pity to lose Cook, but I suppose he just wants to move to the next level and not continually have to punch above our weight !!